The Crimes Of The Settlers In The West Bank Rise To The Level Of War Crimes, And The Silence Of The International

Ina dangerous and systematic escalation of settler crimes supported by the Israeli Occupation army, about 200 armed settlers launched a wide-scale attack on the Ras al-Auja area in the Palestinian Jordan Valley on the evening of March 7,2025. The assault lasted for four continuous hours, resulting in the theft of1,500 heads of sheep, brutal physical attacks on farmers, and the destruction of their property. This was done with direct protection from the Israeli occupation army, which provided aerial cover through drones. This scene once again proves that these crimes are not just random attacks but are part of a systematic policy aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land and imposing new facts on the ground to serve the expansionist settlement project.

This attack, in terms of planning, coordination, scale, and level of involvement, reflects a dangerous shift in settler attacks on Palestinians. It is no longer just individual random assaults by extremist settlers, but rather these attacks have taken on a more organized nature, resembling the methods of armed Zionist gangs like the "Haganah" and "Stern" that carried out massacres during the Nakba of 1948. Their main objective was to terrorize Palestinian populations and force them to leave their land, which is the same goal that settlers seek to achieve today with direct support from the Israeli occupation army.

Targeting Palestinian farmers during the night, while they were asleep, and carrying out this attack in an organized manner aims to ensure the element of surprise and instill fear in the hearts of Palestinian families. This is further evidence that these operations are no longer just individual assaults or isolated incidents; they have become part of a well-planned strategy to impose a new reality on the ground. The use of modern weapons by settlers, the military support in securing the attack through drones, along with the arrest of a farmer by Israeli occupation soldiers instead of protecting Palestinian civilians, reveals direct official involvement in this crime. This makes it not just an attack by settlers but a crime led and managed by the Israeli occupation authorities themselves.

According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the forcible seizure of property from people under occupation is considered a war crime. Additionally, organized attacks against civilians fall under crimes against humanity according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Israeli occupation army's support for this attack by securing the area, deploying drones, and providing protection to the settlers makes it directly responsible for these crimes, warranting urgent international action to hold those responsible accountable before international courts.

Therefore, we demand the following:

An urgent and independent international investigation into this crime and the accountability of those involved before the International Criminal Court, as it is a documented and organized war crime.

The immediate imposition of international sanctions on the settlers involved in this attack, their inclusion on international terrorism lists, and a ban on them from traveling to European countries and the United States, criminalizing any financial or logistical support reaching them.

The immediate dispatch of an international protection mission to the Jordan Valley under the auspices of the United Nations to ensure the safety of Palestinian farmers and stop the repeated attacks against them.

Holding the Israeli occupation fully responsible for this crime before international bodies, including the Security Council, the United Nations, and the European Union, and pressuring countries that support the occupation to hold it accountable for these crimes.

Providing urgent compensation to the farmers affected by the severe losses they have incurred as a result of this terrorist attack and obligating the occupation to provide fair compensation under international law.

Stopping all forms of financial and military support going to the settlers and demanding that countries funding settlement projects stop funding settlement terrorism immediately.

Intensifying diplomatic and legal efforts against the Israeli occupation in international forums to stop these terrorist settlement practices and ensure that these crimes against Palestinians are not repeated.

Calling on the international community and human rights organizations to take a clear and strong stance, not to settle for empty condemnation statements, but to take binding actions that prevent the continuation of the occupation and its crimes.

The continued international silence on these crimes is unacceptable complicity, and treating these attacks as "individual incidents" is an immoral justification for organized state terrorism aimed at imposing new facts on the ground and depriving Palestinians of their basic right to live on their land. This attack, and other crimes committed daily against the Palestinian people, require urgent international action to stop settlement expansion, hold perpetrators accountable, and force the Israeli occupation to abide by international law. Otherwise, the international community will lose what remains of its credibility in defending human rights and international justice. The United Nations, the European Union, and the International Criminal Court must take a decisive stance before it is too late, or these crimes will continue and escalate, leading to a larger and more destructive explosion with grave consequences for all. The union calls on all international and human rights institutions to act immediately and not settle for condemnation and denunciation statements, as it is time for practical steps to protect Palestinians from this organized terrorism.

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